Diving toy



May 23, 1959 R SEAMAN 2,509,112

DIVING TOY Filed May 6, 1946 Patented May 23, 1950 UNITED STATES I DIVING TOY Richard; H. Seaman, .1Los Angeles Calif., ,,.assignor. to C. Malncsa corporationof California.

Application May 6, 1946; Serial No. 667 3517 2 Claims. 11

My invention relates to that type of divingtoys wherein an article in a container filled with liquid may be caused to rise and sink in said liquid by certain manipulations.

In all of these toys, so far as I am aware, the only movement which is possible is that movement of sinking and rising to the top or surface of the liquid as the container or some part of the container is intermittently compressed.

I have conceived the idea of a, diving toy article or member which can be caused to move horizontally, as well as up and down.

I am, therefore, enabled to make my toy in the form of a submarine boat, fish, swimmer or other toy, the desired movement of which is horizontally, as well as up and down, and in which the movement can be accelerated by a method of manipulation.

In order to explain my invention, I have illustrated one practical embodiment thereof on the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a toy apparatus embodying my invention, and also showing mechanical means for manipulating the portion thereof which causes the desired movements of the diving member;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; and

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

My invention, as here illustrated, is in the form of a submarine boat, designated 4, with a dome portion 5, closed and which forms a trap for a certain amount of air, said boat having an opening 6 in its end, whereby water or other fluid can enter and fill it, with the trapped air held in the dome portion, as shown, and as is well known.

I have shown the diving boat suspended in a container 1, of transparent material, with a flexible top 8, which can be compressed, as indicated by the light broken lines. This flexible top 8 can be flexed inwardly by the pressure of the hand and slowly or rapidly as desired for causing the movement up and down, and around and around, of the submarine.

As one means for mechanically manipulating the toy, as for window display, I have shown an eccentrically mounted disc 9, on a shaft Ill, having bearings in a yoke structure I l, secured to the cover rim 1, with a pulley l2, driven by a belt H, from a motor driven pulley l4, driven by a train of gears in the housing 15, and driven by a motor l6. Any driving means can be used, as may be desired.

The disc or member 9 is provided around its 136- 5 2 riphery" with a; series; of; knobs; or: lug: portions; designated 9', designed, when said disc is driven, to intermittently tap the flexible top 8, as will be understood. This tapping action causes the horizontal movement.

Inasmuch as said disc is eccentrically mounted on said shaft l0, it will, with each revolution, dip downwardly and depress the flexible top 8 to the position indicated by the light broken lines.

The cam disc 9 being eccentrically mounted intermittently engages and depresses the flexible top 8, as indicated in light broken lines, thus causing the boat to sink during the depression, and then to rise as the top 8 rises. The knobs on said disc 9 cause a more rapid tapping on said top 8, suflicient to cause a puffing discharge of water through the rear opening 6, giving propulsion forwardly to the boat.

The operation of the toy may be briefly stated as follows:

As the top 8 is depressed, the water in the container is forced into the submarine, through the end opening 6, which in turn compresses the air trapped in the dome portion of the submarine. This additional water therein causes said submarine to sink. As the pressure is released, the expansion of the air in the dome of the submarine forces the water out of the submarine through the end opening 6, against the water or fluid in the container, and this causes the submarine to move by a sort of jet propulsion from the rear thereof.

The toy can be a submarine boat, fish or any other thing which is to move horizontally, in the manner just described. The inlet for the water is in a horizontal direction, as at the end, and the discharge is the same. I do not, therefore, limit the invention to a submarine, as the particular toy, but intend that any horizontally movable toy member or thing can be used.

I claim:

1. In a diving toy, the combination of a closed container and liquid therein, said container having a portion to be compressed to increase pres sure on the liquid in said container, a disc rotatably mounted to turn on an eccentric axis to intermittently put pressure on said portion by the eccentric movement of said disc, said disc having spaced enlargement portions on its periphery to successively engage and slightly compress said portion, a diving element of selected buoyancy submerged in the liquid in said container and having an air pocket in its upper portion and an opening in its lateral end for inflow and outflow of liquid into and out of said element as said container is compressed and expanded, whereby to cause down and up movement of said diving element and to cause horizontal movement thereof as liquid is forced therefrom through said opening.

2. In combination with a container with liquid therein, said container having a flexible part to be pressed inwardly to increase pressure on the contents thereof, a toy boat of horizontally elongated iorm with a small dome on top thereof to form an air trap, and having an inlet and outlet opening in its end for inflow and outflow of liquid as pressure is applied to said container flexible portion, an eccentrically mounted member in engagement with the flexible part of said container with means for revolving it to intermittently put pressure on said flexible part, as said member is revolved, whereby to intermittently cause inflow and outflow of liquid into and out of said boat to cause it to fall and rise in said container, said eccentrically mounted member having protuber- 4 ances around its edge to cause a tapping action on the flexible part of said container as said eccentrically mounted member is revolved to cause more rapid intervals of pressure on the flexible part of said container for the purpose described.

RICHARD H. SEAMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,454,426 Clements May 8, 1923 1,595,828 Fuller Aug. 10, 1926 1,675,522 Weidinger et a1 July 3, 1928 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 10,317 Great Britain A. D. 1896 

